Athens Academy Press Releases

On Thursday, December 4, the Athens Academy International Club held its fifth annual Winter Holiday Fest at the Garnett Ridge Boys and Girls Club. Academy Upper School students gave presentations on a variety of traditions and celebrations, including Diwali, the Five Pillars of Islam, Chinese New Year, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas. Garnett Ridge’s students, ages 5 through 11, made crafts and played games led by the Academy students before giving a poster presentation on Mexican Christmas and New Year traditions and singing in Spanish and English. Athens Academy Spanish teacher John Maddox, Boys and Girls Club Director Susan Wilson, and the Garnett Ridge staff chaperoned the event, which included Athens Academy students Malik Obeidin, Margaret Heald, Sara Wetzstein, David Millard, David Cason, Christina Shin, Ayman Tartir, Simone Smith, and Karishma Sriram. ¡Feliz año nuevo de parte de los jóvenes de Athens!

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 10:23 AM | Permalink

In late October, Headmaster Bob Chambers traveled to Tennessee to visit with eight Athens Academy alumni attending Sewanee: The University of the South. Accompanying him on the trip were Associate Headmaster J.P. Watson and Academic Affairs Director Pat Cuneo. After a breakfast with alumni, they met with staff from the Sewanee Admissions Office. Mr. Chambers, Mr. Watson, and Mr. Cuneo were pleased to also meet with the Reverend John Thomas, a 1984 graduate of Athens Academy and the newly-appointed head of school at St. Andrew's-Sewanee School. After congratulating him on his new position, they joined Father Thomas for a campus tour and lunch.

Headmaster Bob Chambers with Sewanee students and Athens Academy alumni Andy Jarrett, Michael Mansfield, and Tyler Brantley.

Associate Head J.P. Watson with Headmaster Bob Chambers and Father John Thomas.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 12:59 PM | Permalink

Twenty-three groups of Athens Academy Upper School students and faculty journeyed across Athens on Friday, November 21, to participate in the school’s tenth annual Service Day. All students from grades nine through twelve signed up for projects ranging from cleaning and gardening to a fashion show fund-raiser and musical performances. It was a great day of service, with students giving a total of over 1,500 hours of their time.

Student groups included bowling and basketball with Special Olympians, working with children at Oglethorpe and Barrow elementary schools, decorating windows for the American Red Cross, and visiting the senior citizens’ center. Other students volunteered at Our Daily Bread, Nuci’s Space, the Northeast Georgia Food Bank, and the Athens Area Homeless Shelter. At Maison Bleu, a group of students held a fashion show to raise money for the homeless shelter. Students also volunteered at Memorial Park, the Oconee County Animal Shelter, and Garnett Ridge Community Center.

A student video crew toured the different volunteer sites during the day and put together a video that can be viewed on the Athens Academy website at www.athensacademy.org by clicking on “Academics,” selecting “Media & Technology,” and then clicking on “Webcasts” on the left-hand menu.

Service Day was founded in 2000 by Athens Academy student Jessica Tarleton as a way to help students figure out what type of service they enjoyed most. Since that time, students have organized, planned, and carried out Service Day every year. The program is designed to give students a broad range of volunteering opportunities throughout the community. At Athens Academy, service to school, the community, nation, and world is emphasized by direct contributions of time, personal talents, and resources by students, parents, faculty, and alumni in order to improve the quality of life for others and the natural environment we share.

Posted by Kelley Cuneo at 10:43 AM | Permalink